The idea of working on electrical projects may give you some minor feeling of panic, but many typical household dilemmas are simple to repair as long as you obey the rules of currents and always follow safety guidelines.

Every person in your household who is old enough should know how to turn off and restore your home's power supply in case of power failure or to make electrical repairs.

Safety Precautions

It will seem obvious to state that you should never work on anything electrical that is conductive, or live, without first disabling it, but let's face it, even the best of us get lazy once in awhile. We get tempted to grab that fallen piece of banana bread by sticking a fork into the toaster without first unplugging it. Yes, you know you did something stupid like that once, before you thought better of it.

In any situation where you need to make an electrical repair, first disable the power supply. Few people realize that this is also true before you drill into ceilings or walls—you may hit a wire without knowing it, so shut off power at your circuit box before you drill. Keep a flashlight near your breaker box so you can see what you're doing.

Older homes tend to have fuse boxes, while newer or refurbished ones have circuit breakers, but they serve the same function. If you have a fuse box, keep the appropriate fuses on hand (and never use fuses that are too powerful for your fuse box—the amp ratings should be clearly marked inside the box door).